As is well known, and understood, the recreational use of bicycles and bicycle competitions have increased significantly since the introduction of the off-road or BMX type bicycle--and has become a multi-billion dollar concern. As is also known, such type of bicycle is designed to be ridden up and down hills, over all kinds of terrain including rocks, dirt, sand, water, etc., requiring more vigorous peddling and a greater need for reliability under adverse conditions. To address this, the rider is often joined to the bicycle via a locking clip in the pedal, which prevents the rider from jumping off the bike in the event the chain jams the pedal mechanism, causing the rider and the bicycle to fall. To gain market share and altering performance, companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars improving the designs to create a less bumpy ride (adding shock absorbers and floating forks, and making peddling easier) and increasing the number of gears at both the crank and rear axles.
As is understood, the reason that bicycle companies have focused on the number of gears offered--numbering twenty-one and higher--is that a rider can select a gear that gives the most efficient conversion of peddling into forward motion, permitting the rider to navigate hills and obstacles more effectively, and faster without exhaustion. Additionally, as some riders use these kinds of bicycles on the edge of safety, they require the immediate response to their demands, and the ability to propel themselves over and around obstacles. As a result of the vigorous, uncompromising demands on the mechanics that drive the rear wheel--pedals, cranks, chain ring, chains, cassettes and cogs--it regularly occurs that when a rider shifts the front gear to a smaller diameter ring under pressure, the bottom of the chain bounces, slapping against the rear of the chain ring. When the chain contacts the rear of the chain ring being driven by the cranks in this manner, the chain often catches on a tooth on the upwardly moving gear, causing it to get drawn up against the frame of the bicycle and locking up the peddling mechanism. In a racing competition, for example, this can result in the participant falling back many places and/or losing.